June 13. SEE. St Anthony of Padua. Giving names to children is a cultural thing. They might be names of relatives or just any name that sounds nice. In some cultures the name’s significance is related to the time of the birth.  At baptism the Church expects babies to have a Christian or saint’s name. Children can explore who their name saint is. That was what Sibusiso Anthony Moloi did and he studied the life of St Anthony of Padua. “St. Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be found.”  He remembered that little prayer from his childhood, a legend about a time when St Anthony himself prayed intensely for an important book he needed that was lost. As a child he was drawn to the religious life and wanted to be a missionary but his health was not good enough. He was shipwrecked and ended up in Italy as a humble Franciscan brother, and a contemporary of St Francis. By chance his preaching skill was discovered and that became his life’s work, turning many people from their sins.  A fellow monk found him one night in his room miraculously holding the baby Jesus. That is the image we see of him.  This intense love for Jesus can be a real model for all the Anthonys and Antonettes.

JUDGE. Reflect, share. Scripture.  “The harvest is great but the labourers are few. From Luke 10:1-9.  Pope Francis. The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.”  EG 1  Pope Leo.  Let us remain faithful to the truth! Living amid incessant flows of information, opinions and images, we know how easy it can be to influence decisions and preferences through increasingly sophisticated algorithms.  In this context, it is imperative to cultivate hearts that love the truth, prefer what is right, despite the most appealing content and pursue wisdom rather than immediate results. We must always keep before us the truth about God and humanity, just as Christ has revealed them to us. MH 237

ACT AND PRAY. For some of us a devotion to St Anthony, finder of lost items, is very important and helpful.   How do you feel about that?